


The Beginning

by MidnightPanda



Series: Supernatural AU [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!, IDOLiSH7 (Anime), ヒプノシスマイク | Hypnosis Mic (Albums), 弱虫ペダル | Yowamushi Pedal
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Crossover, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Multi, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:16:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29440320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightPanda/pseuds/MidnightPanda
Summary: Waking up in a strange unfamiliar place, Noya and a few others try to understand their terrifying situation. A creepy scientist, who Noya refers to as demon, has notorious plans for them.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Nishinoya Yuu, Izumi Mitsuki/Kujou Ten, Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Manami Sangaku/Teshima Junta, Naruko Shoukichi/Onoda Sakamichi
Series: Supernatural AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162481
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t own any of these series or their characters. I hope you enjoy this. I tried my best.

Nishinoya wakes up to darkness. He groggily sits up and stretches his arms. He peels his eyes around but there is only black. The only sound that can be heard is his beating heart and fast breathes as he panics. 

Where is he? How did he get here? This is not his room. The ground is cold and hard under his fingers. Why can’t he see anything? There is nothing obscuring his vision. Goosebumps bristle on his skin as the cold air dances across his skin. His feet are bare and different clothes line his body. 

He’s scared. No- terrified. A heavy feeling settles against his chest. Why would someone kidnap him? He doesn’t have anything of value. He was just spending the night at Shoyo’s house. 

Shoyo’s name rings in his head. What happened to Shoyo? He can’t tell if he is in a black room or some sort of void. He cautiously stands and slowly sweeps his arms trying to find a wall. He has to get out of here. He has to find Shoyo. Who knows what these people could be doing to him. 

He inches forward on unsteady feet in a random direction. His heart sinks lower and lower as he aimlessly walks around. For all he knows, he could be walking around in circles. How is he supposed to help Shoyo if he can’t even help himself? The overwhelming urge to cry crashes into him. But before the tears could fall, an idea forms in his head. Why didn’t he think of that before? 

Nishinoya cups his hands around his mouth and howls at the top of his lungs, “Shoyo.” 

He tries to calm his roaring heart so he wouldn’t miss if Shoyo responds. He waits. The sinking feeling starts to creep back, but he waves it down. He can’t give up. Maybe Shoyo didn’t hear him the first time. He yells over and over again until his voice begins to crack.

The only thing that answers his call is his own voice as it echoes around him. At least he knows he is in a room and not some never-ending space. That doesn’t make him feel any better though. Where could they be keeping Shoyo? Where could they be keeping him? 

He frustratedly grips his hair and pulls. Silent sobs spill from his mouth as rivers of water fall from his eyes. His body quivers as his sobs grow louder and rivers turn into oceans. He feels useless. 

A loud beep resonates across the room. He stares as a big door opens and light seeps through. He has to cover his eyes or risk being blinded by the light. Once his eyes adjust, a tall figure looms over him. He stumbles in terror as his skin crawls. Who is this man? Why is he giving off an intense aura? 

After his initial shock, he meets the stranger’s eyes and has to resist the urge to scream. Nishinoya can hear the blood flowing through his ears and feels his body tremble. 

The stranger looks like a deranged person and the hottest person on Earth had a baby and threw it into the depths of hell to be raised by the devil. His crazed smile twist further up his face, increasing the terror that Nishinoya feels. The stranger’s eyes roam over his body as if he is trying to peel him apart. He’s wearing a white lab coat over a black turtle neck and gray jeans. There seems to be some stains on his coat, but Noya can’t quite tell from what. But from this man’s pressure and aura, he could probably guess what it is. His stomach twists and body shudders against the thought. 

The deranged scientist says something to the big man standing a little further behind him. Nishinoya was too focused on the tall man, he didn’t even realize that two other people had entered the room with him. The big man hands him something. 

The crazy man walks toward him the same smile on his face. Noya wants to scream at him to stay back, but his throat is still sore from all the yelling. Even if his throat wasn’t sore, his terror frozen body wouldn’t have let any words escape his body anyway. The least Noya could do was back up, but his body couldn’t even do that. 

The terror must be written on his face clear as day because the man says, “There is no need to be afraid, my little specimen.” In his hands he holds a package of tissues. Noya isn’t going to fall for his dirty tricks as the man continues staring at him with that sinister smile. Who would trust a man with that smile? Who would trust someone who calls them “my little specimen”? 

Noya’s senses finally return to him. He scowls at the man and backs away. 

The man has the audacity to look hurt, “I was just offering you some tissues. No need to get offensive.” He throws the tissues to Noya, stands up, and brushes of his jeans, “I can’t have my specimen looking like a disgusting mess.” 

Noya carefully inspects the tissues as if they were poisoned. He doesn’t find anything threatening, and why would he. Its tissues. He grabs a few and cleans his face. The man is still starring at him with that sinister look. Noya averts his eyes to the two people standing off to the side. 

The big muscled man is standing next to a pink-haired girl with black roots peeking out who is only a few inches taller than Noya. She’s wearing a black, baggy leather jacket over a tight black v-neck shirt. The shirt is tucked into a plaid white and red skirt. Underneath that she’s wearing black leggings and black combat boots that Noya thinks might be adding a few inches to her height. She’s carrying an IPad in her hand by her side. She looks over to Noya and glares at him. He glares back. He diverts his gaze back to the mad scientist and instantly regrets it. 

The scientist smirks at him, “Did you find anything nice while admiring my assistant?” 

The girl narrows her eyes at the scientist, “I’m not your assistant.” 

“Who said I was talking about you!”

Her face transforms into a scowl, but remains quiet.

Noya doesn’t have time waste. He needs to find Shoyo. He steels his resolve and glowers, “Where’s Shoyo?” 

The scientist continues smirking and shrugs, “I don’t remember meeting anyone named Shoyo.” 

“Bullshit,” Noya snarls. “He was holding me in his arms last night. He would’ve noticed if you tried to take me. So I’m asking you again; Where. Is. He?

The scientist’s smile falls back into the blood curling smile. “Sorry to disappoint you kid, but we only grabbed you. We didn’t do anything to your precious boyfriend.” 

Noya deflates in relief. Shoyo is safe. Shoyo is still at home, unaware of what’s going on. But why is he here? What did the scientist mean by “specimen”? Was he going to be used for experiments? He had a feeling that was the answer. 

The demon’s words cut through his thoughts, “You’re heart rate is really elevated. You should calm down.” 

The dam inside Noya erupts, “Calm down? Calm down? How do expect me to calm down? I was kidnapped and moved to who-knows-where and you’re telling me to calm down?” His voice rises with each word, “Why am I here? What do you want with me? I’m standing in front of crazy scientist who probably wants to tear me apart, and you’re telling me to CALM DOWN. FUCK YOU. GO ROT IN HELL.” 

Instead of getting angry, the demon laughs, “You’re just as feisty as the others! I can’t wait to start experimenting!” 

Rage is replaced with fear. He was right. The demon was going to experiment on him. He has to get out of here. His heart races and adrenaline rushes through his veins as he sprints toward the door. He dashes out the door and turns left. Harsh white walls, floors, and lights glare at him as he runs past. His eyes weren’t prepared for the hallway. 

His muscles ache and head spins. All the walls look the same. It’s a maze. He’s lost in the endless hallways with no exit in sight. What was he thinking? He doesn’t know anything about this place, but he feels lighter. Even though he’s lost in a maze, he is happy to be away from the demon. But the happiness is shattered by a figure walking out of the wall in front of him. 

He holts in shock, heavy pants coming out of his mouth, as the muscled man walks out of the wall. His mind is reeling. People can’t walk through walls. What is this place? He turns to run, but stops cold. The demon and pink-haired girl are standing there. 

“Did you have fun running around in circles?” The demon’s yellow eyes flash with amusement. 

He was running in circles? That doesn’t make any sense. He didn’t turn left every time. He knows he wasn’t running in a circle. 

“Are you hungry? You did just do a lot of running.” The demon saunters toward him, still smiling that crazed smile, and places his pale, bony hand on Noya’s shoulder. 

Noya flinches and cowers back. He careens his head to the ground and stammers, “Wh-what is this place? How did he... how did he walk thr-thro-through the wall?” 

“All your questions will be answered later. It’s lunch time. You must be hungry.” 

Noya opens his mouth to protest, but the demon places a finger on his lips. He leans down to Noya’s ear, “Would you like me to start my experiments early?” 

His heart stops and chills run through his body. He swallows and shakes his head. The demon pats his head, “Good boy.” 

The demon straightens back up, rests his hand against Noya’s back, and leads them to the cafeteria. 

Noya’s heart is beating so fast, he might pass out. His legs are shaking so much, he’s struggling to walk straight. What is he going to do? Is there any way to get out of this? If there is a way to get out of this, would it be something worse? He doesn’t know what experiments the demon is planning, but he knows he needs to stall. If he can. 

The demon drops him off in the cafeteria and disappears down the opposite hallway. Noya’s appetite has yet to resurface. The girl and muscled man stroll over to a group of people talking loudly in the corner. He watches as a brown haired girl hugs the pink-haired girl. He scans his eyes over the area. 

The cafeteria is a total opposite compared to the white everything about the hallway. It feels like a completely different building. The cafeteria is beautiful. Mahogany tables stand on iron legs and chairs with plush seats and cushion backs are arranged at each table. Decorated lights hang over each table and plants are littered evenly throughout the room. The hardwood floors are polished and clean. 

Noya’s eyes stop on the farthest table from the loud group of people. They’re wearing the same silky white button up shirts and white silk bottoms. How much money do these people have? Being able to dress up their experiments in the most expensive fabric. He does find them very soft and comfortable, but also embarrassing. He’s walking around in pajamas. 

They would probably be the best people to talk to. He sees a familiar cowlick poking into the air. His face lights up as he launches himself toward the table. 

“Yamaguchi,” he says once he holts in front of the table. 

All heads turn to face him. Yamaguchi’s eyes widen, “Noya-san.” 

“Hi! I’m Naruko Shoukichi!” A red headed boy points to himself. He’s sitting at the far end on the left. 

Noya collapses into the seat across from Yamaguchi. He feels the tension seep out his body. He could fall asleep in this chair. He isn’t sure if he should be glad that he has a friend or upset that one of his juniors and friend was dragged into this awful situation. 

“I’m Teshima Junta,” declares the purple haired teen sitting next to the red head. 

“I’m Izumi Mitsuki,” the kind-looking orange haired boy says. The boys eyes cast glances across the room as if watching and waiting for something to happen. 

“‘Sup. I’m Yamada Jiro,” the boy with the mismatch eyes drawls. 

Noya can tell they’re all afraid, but don’t want to admit it. He needs to find out more about this place. “Were you guys kidnapped as well?” 

They hesitate before nodding. 

“I woke up this morning in this pitch black room. Then this creepy scientist guy comes in and calls me Specimen number 3.” Naruko visibly shakes with disgust. 

They each recount similar stories. The major points are the same for each story: we woke up this morning in a dark room, the demon went into everybody’s room to greet them and they were each given a number. The numbers were sewn on each person’s sleeve. Noya’s is 6. 

Yamaguchi whispers, “Why were we kidnapped? What experiments is he planning on doing?” 

Noya gestures everyone to lean towards the middle. He whispers, “There’s obviously something strange about this place. When I was running away from the creepy scientist, the muscled guy walked through the wall. The creepy guy told me I was running around in circles even though I know I wasn’t. Is he trying to give people superpowers? Do you guys know? Have you witnessed anything like that?”

Teshima tilts his head, “It is strange. They don’t work here and they aren’t patients or experiments. Some of them look to be around our age. Two of them always come into the room with the creepy guy.” Teshima looks around like he has a secret that he isn’t supposed to say. “I don’t think they want to give us superpowers.” 

“Why do you say that?” Mitsuki asks, worry lacing his voice. 

“Because I already have a superpower.” 

“He really does! It’s awesome,” Naruko cheers. 

“I wouldn’t say it’s awesome.” 

Noya eyes him uncertainly. Superpowers are only seen in fiction, not real life. “What is it?”

“I can’t die,” Teshima blurts out. He sighs and runs his temples, “Or more specifically, I die and come back to life. If I cut myself or break a bone, it automatically heals.” 

Everyone except Naruko is stunned. Noya really doesn’t know if that is good power to have or not. A power that only activates if you die or get hurt sounds cool, but probably isn’t. A deep well of sadness sweeps through his bones. “How did you find out?” 

“My friends saw my cut up dead body lying in my bed. They were going to call the police, but saw that my missing limbs were growing back. They said after 30 minutes I came back to life.” 

“It was scary. Everybody was crying. Manami was crying the hardest. I never want to see something like that again.” Naruko gazes downward and he bunches up his fists. 

“I’m okay, Naruko.” Teshima rubs circles on Naruko’s back. 

“I miss everybody.” 

Silent nods echo around the table. Their eyes stare off into space as they recount memories with friends and family. 

Noya misses his team. His friends. His family. And most of all, his boyfriend; Hinata Shoyo. He misses Shoyo’s kisses, his hugs, and everything about him. His bright sunny smile and cheerful voice. His warm body against Noya’s as they cuddle on his bed or during sex. Noya needs to stops thinking like that before he gets hard. Luckily, Mitsuki interrupts his thoughts.

“I also have a superpower,” Mitsuki puts air quotes around “superpower”. He’s nervously fidgety with his fingers, “I’ve never been physically hurt. Every time it seems like I’m going to hurt myself, some kind of invisible force pushes it out of the way or destroys whatever is going to hurt me.” 

“Is that why you don’t have a choker around your neck?” Jiro mutters, picking at the choker around his neck. He seems to be trying to take it away from his skin, but it won’t move.

Noya brought his hands to his neck and felt the thin, cool band brush against his fingers. Why didn’t he notice this before? How did they make this? It doesn’t feel like ordinary metal. How did they get it to sit directly against his skin? 

“Who just puts a choker on someone? It has to be there for a reason.” Teshima drawls, his hands tracing the choker. He diverts his gaze to Mitsuki, “You said you couldn’t get physically hurt. Does that mean your power can sense when something is dangerous?” 

Mitsuki hand moves to his chin. His eyebrows crease and his cheeks have a light dusting of pink, “I think so. Tenn, my boyfriend, and I do things that... you know and it does feel a little painful, but nothing tries to stop it. I think the person has to strike with the intent to harm. But I’m not 100% sure.” 

Yamaguchi’s eyes shine, “I get it. Mitsuki can’t wear the choker because it’s dangerous. So it’s a collar basically.” 

Mitsuki and Teshima hum in agreement while Jiro and Naruko look as lost as Noya feels. 

“This definitely makes us experiments. I don’t know what kind of collar it is, but hopefully none of us find out.” Teshima bites his lips anxiously. 

“Then why do they want to experiment on us?” Jiro fearfully asks. 

“They could be experimenting on our powers.” 

“That could be possible for you two, but the rest of us don’t have any powers,” Noya points out. 

“That’s n-not true,” Yamaguchi stutters, his thumbs swirling and eyes looking everywhere but at them. 

Noya motions for him to continue. 

Yamaguchi takes a deep shuddering breathe and proceeds, “Sometimes when I’m by my-my-myself it feels like I’m walking on air.Turns out I was walking a few inches above the ground.” 

Noya gapes like a fish. Does this mean that he could have some superpower he doesn’t know about yet? He wonders what it could be. 

Naruko and Jiro shine like the stars. 

“I wonder what power I have!” Naruko vibrates in his chair. 

Right before their eyes, Naruko flickers between visible and invisible. Noya can see the back of the wall through his head. His body becomes transparent before he turns completely invisible. 

“Why are guys starring at me?” 

“Look at your hands,” Teshima smiles. 

After a moment of silence, Noya hears the disappointment in Naruko’s voice, “I can turn invisible. The Speedster of Naniwa was meant to stand out, not disappear.” 

Teshima laughs as the shirt sleeves cross their arms. It’s funny watching clothes float around. Jiro’s eyes widen in awe as he feels Naruko’s arm. 

“How do I turn back?” Naruko must be starring at his hands as if they’ll magically become visible again. 

“I don’t think mine ever turns off. I don’t think Teshima’s does either.” Answers Mitsuki apologetically. 

“Yamachan, how did you turn yours off?” 

“Yamachan?!” Yamaguchi points to himself. 

Naruko snickers. 

“I’m not sure. As soon as I noticed it, it stopped.” 

“You mean I’m going to be stuck like this forever?” Naruko’s chair stumbles back as he panics. 

As if a switch was pulled, Naruko becomes visible again. He stares down at his hands and sighs in relief. Pulling his chair back to the table, he flops into it and rests his head against the table.His voice is laced with disappointment and anxiety, “Ugh. I don’t know if I want to use my powers.” 

“You just have to learn how to control it,” encourages Teshima as he tries to comfort Naruko. “It’s like riding a bike for the first time. You won’t get better unless you practice.” 

Lights and stars dance around Naruko as he perks up, “You’re right, Perm-senpai. Naniwa’s Speed Man would never give up.” His smile grows wider and sharp tooth more prominent, “I want to show Sakamichi.” 

“Sakamichi?” Jiro questions. He reaches up to his head, but stops as if remembering something. He looks lost and a deep sadness washes over his face. 

“My boyfriend. Onoda Sakamichi. He loves anime and has the cutest laugh. He wears big, round glasses that make his eyes look super pretty.” Noya can practically see the hearts in his eyes and floating around his head as Naruko speaks fondly about his boyfriend. “I love how dominant he can be, but still retain his innocence. I want him to—.” 

“We don’t need to hear about you getting fucked by your boyfriend,” Teshima coughs, trying to hide his flustered face. 

“Like your one to talk. You would love if Manami fuc—“ 

Mitsuki waves his arms around and scolds them like a mother, “Could we get back to the topic at hand.” 

Noya smirks and has a hard time resisting, “I wish I was getting fucke-“ 

Naruko laughs and cheers, “Bottom gang!” 

Noya can’t help it, “Bottom Gang!!” 

Mitsuki’s face is scarlet as he sighs, “Could we please get back to the topic at hand?” 

Jiro looks around confused, “I’m not a bottom. I’m straight.” 

“What does your girlfriend look like? Unless you don’t have a girlfriend. That’s good too.” Naruko bounces in his seat expectantly. 

“I don’t have one. But I do have two brothers. Niichan is the best. I want to be like niichan when I’m older. I love Sabaru so much and I know he loves me too even though he calls me stupid.” 

“Can we talk about our families and friends a little longer? I want be happy for at least a moment before we have to start thinking about our situation again.” Yamaguchi pleadingly whispers, his voice filled with hope and nostalgia. 

“Okay. But we need to do this fast so we can continue talking before lunch ends. So nobody ask any questions. Make it simple and to the point.” Declares Mitsuki. 

“Naruko and I are in the bicycle club at our school. My best friend Aoyagi and I are known as T2. We’re a team. Our team won the Interhigh twice. It was a big deal. I was only on the Interhigh team this year. I was the Captain this year; but now that the Interhigh is over, I’m retiring.My boyfriend, Manami Sangaku, became the captain of the rival team, while Onoda became our new captain. My boyfriend is the ace climber for his team.” Teshima wraps a strand of hair around his finger and twirls it between his thumb and pointer finger. 

Noya doesn’t remember there being a huge bike race. He would have heard about this. The other’s faces twist with the same confusion. 

“Yamaguchi and I are on a volleyball team. We beat all the other teams and are on our way to play at nationals. I’m the libero and my boyfriend, Hinata Shoyo, is the decoy. Yamaguchi is the pinch server while his boyfriend Tsukishima Kei is a middle blocker and his other boyfriend, Kageyama Tobio, is the setter.” Noya points to his fingers as he lists each item. 

Noya can tell that they didn’tunderstand anything he just said. He chuckles. It’s nice being one of the only people to understand something, than always feeling like you’rewalking blindly through a maze. 

Mitsuki clears his throat, “My younger brother, Iori, and I are part of the idol group, Idolish7. We’re a young group compared to Trigger and Re:vale. Trigger and Re:vale are very popular groups. My boyfriend, Kujo Tenn, is the center of Trigger and a great inspiration to me. We recently finished a joint concert for Re:vale’s fifth anniversary.” 

Idolish7? Trigger? Re:vale? Noya may not listen to idols that much, but he has never heard of any of these groups. His mouth is dying to burst open. How can he not ask questions? This is too confusing. He should know them if they’re popular idol groups. What kind of fucked up shit is going on in this place? 

Jiro, like an innocent little kid, rejoices, “Me and my brothers represent the Ikebukuro Dividion in the rap battles. We’re called Buster Bros. We didn’t win this rap battle, but we’regoing to win the next rap battle.” His face is pinched in determination and fist clenched. His eyes roll back and he dawns an aura of air-headiness as he drawls, “Oh yeah. The country is run by a bunch of women and, instead of violence, we have rap battles using hypnosis microphones. Hypnosis Mics for short.” 

“Okay, I’m sure we all have a lot of questions, but we need to get back on topic.” Tone serious as Mitsuki clasp his hands like a businessman. “Our main concerns are: we don’t know where we are or why we are here. We know that we are experiments. But why are they experimenting on our abilities?” 

“How did they know we have abilities?” Teshima bites his nails. 

“Maybe they saw us use them. Jiro and Noya-chan must have used their abilities without knowing.” Naruko suggests. 

“Can’t the same be said for you? We didn’t know your ability until know.” Noya pouts, annoyed at the name “Noya-chan”. “And don’t call me Noya-chan, just Noya.” 

Naruko smiles and gives him a big thumbs up. 

“That’s the most obvious option. It means that they’re spying on us. But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would they be spying on us in the first place?” Mitsuki wounds his hands through his hair and clenches his teeth.

Noya’s head spins. This is getting more confusing as time passes. Noya has never been really smart, but even he can tell that this is weird. 

“You’re right. It doesn’t make sense. Why take us now when they could’ve taken us at any time? If they were waiting for us to use our powers, Mitsuki and I would’ve been here long ago.” Teshima’s eyes are burning. 

“Ahhh, this is making my head hurt. Could we move onto something else?” Whines Jiro as he messes up his hair, most likely trying to reach into his head and squeeze his brain. 

“Haha. We probably should.” Mitsuki chuckles and tries to make the atmosphere less tense. 

Noya misses Shoyo. He wishes he was at home with Shoyo and all his teammates. If this is the price to pay for being unique, he’d rather be an ordinary person. (Even though having an ability is awesome). 

“What about the bracelets?” Yamaguchi holds up his wrist. A thin object rests securely against his bony wrist. It looks just like the choker. He rubs his fingers over the material and a holographic screen shoots out. 

The screen is green and as big as a computer screen. From the angle Noya is sitting, the words appear to be backwards. The screen provides us with a clear view of Yamaguchi’s surprised expression. 

“What does it say?” Naruko leans closer as if it would help read the backward words. His gaze drifts down to his own wrist were an identical bracelet lies. Eyes bore into the object like it was a gun that could shoot him at any moment. 

“Ability: Unknown. Power Level: ?/10. Control: .5/10. Range: ?. Potential: 10/10. Status: Not Active.” Curiosity and confusion overshadow his face as his eyes travel from one person to the other, “What is that?” 

“Power statistics. Like in a video game.” Jiro gleefully rubs his fingers against the circled item. The same screen shoots out, but instead of being green, it’s blue. “Ability: Unknown. Power Level: ?/10. Control: .5/10. Range: roughly 50 meters. Potential: 10/10. Status: Active.”

“Active?” Naruko shoots his eyebrows up. 

“It’s never quiet. Everyone is always talking. I can hear what those people are saying all the way over here. And you guys are also talking nonstop.” 

“What does that mean?” Teshima tilts is head in confusion. 

“You keep going on and on about Manami and you,” he points at Noya, “keep talking about home and it’s making me really sad. And the rest of you are talking about similar things while the people over there are making no sense. You’re still talking even as I’m speaking.” 

“We haven’t said anything and we can’t hear the people over there talking.” Protests Noya. 

“That doesn’t ma- actually that makes sense. If you were speaking, your mouths would’ve been moving. But you were speaking without moving your mouths.” 

A silence descends on the table. He can hear us, but we aren’t speaking. What does that mean? He can hear our thoughts? Noya’s eyes widen and he jumps up, but before he can say anything, Jiro intervenes, “I can read minds.” 

Naruko looks like a child who just got the best toy for Christmas. “That’s so awesome. Does that mean you could hear the evil scientist’s thoughts?” 

“I didn’t hear anything from him. It’s strange. I heard everybody else’s thoughts, but not his. It’s like he has some protective barrier around him.” 

“Can you hear my thoughts?” Mitsuki’s eyes gleam with curiosity. 

Jiro nods. 

“What are the people over there thinking about?” Yamaguchi points to the noisy table with disdain. 

“All the voices are squished together. I can’t make out most of it, but I can hear some words. Abilities, eighteen, and tests along with some other mystery words.” 

This is making less and less sense to Noya. Things like this only happen in movies. They don’t happen in real life. People don’t have superpowers in real life. Maybe this is just a really bad dream. A really bad realistic nightmare. He’ll wake up in the morning curled up in Shoyo’s arms and the sun peaking through the windows. 

“I don’t think this is a dream.” 

“Wah?” Then he remembers- how did he forget- that Jiro could read minds and tiredly looks at him, “Could you please not read my mind.” 

“I don’t know how. If I did, I would have shut it off the moment I woke up.” 

Teshima opens his mouth, but closes it when the loud scrapping of chairs against the ground rings around the room. The people at the table throw their trash away and make their way towards them. Why are they coming over here? Are they like our guards? The people stop in a circle a few feet away from the table. Heavy footsteps resound as they get closer and closer. Noya pales and chills run down his spine. He knows those footsteps, and he can tell the other people at the table do as well. The demon is coming. 

The demon strides into the room and makes a beeline straight for their table, his signature smile plastered to his face. His intimidating aura hits Noya before he even reaches the table. He holts at the front of the table and narrows his cold yellow eyes towards them. 

“Did you have a nice lunch?” Evil eyes peer into their souls. “Ignoring me I see. I guess we’ll just skip the small talk. My name is Azrael Hollow, but you may call me Dr. Hollow. You were each brought to this lab to train your abilities. Training is such a boring word. I prefer the word experiment. We’ll be pushing you beyond your limits to get you combat ready. We do not take mercy on the weak. I’m not saying that any of you will die, but sometimes the training is too hard and people end up dying. Hopefully none of you end up like that. But if you do, I’m free to do whatever I want with your body. There are 24 of you in all. I will be in charge of the six of you.”

Noya’s blood runs cold. Combat ready? Why do they need to be combat ready? Are they fighting someone? Noya doesn’t want to be part of any war. He doesn’t want to die, much less hurt or kill someone. 

“I can tell none of you are eager to start.” His palms slam against the table and he leans forward, lacing each word with malice, “If you fail to comply or try to resist, I will kill everybody you love and make you watch as I slowly torture them to death.” 

“Fail to comply?” Teshima stammers. 

“That means, Number 2, that if you fail to complete a task within the given time period, I will not hesitate to kill to someone you love.”

Noya can feel his quivering body and racing heart. So even if he tries really hard to complete the given task but falls short, someone he loves his still going to die? He can’t let that happen. As long as he doesn’t have to do anything bad, he should be able to complete all the tasks. He smiles, but then realizes that he doesn’t even know what the tasks are. How can he be so confident that he can beat these tasks even though they haven’t even started yet? What makes him think that the tasks aren’t going to be bad when they are literally training them for combat? What if they try to make him kill someone? He gags, but tries to conceal it. 

The demon straightens up and a lazy, creepy smiles replaces his features, “I can’t wait for one you to fail.” 

Noya isn’t normally a violent person, but he wants the demon to go back to Hell and be tortured for all eternity. He’d rather die than work with this lunatic. A realization smashes into Noya. Did he say 24? There are 18 other people like them. Where are they? What if Shoyo is here, but he doesn’t know if it’s Shoyo because he calls us by numbers instead of names? The feeling of panic and horror doubles at the thought. 

“What do the numbers represent?” Mitsuki quietly asks, avoiding eye contact. 

“I’m so glad you asked. The number represents when each of you were brought here. So number 1, does that answer your question?” 

Mitsuki nods, terror controlling his body. 

Jiro looks like he’s having an internal conflict. His face keeps scrunching up, then switching to shock, then back to confusion again. The demon seems to notice this and he sighs as he turns his voice toward the circle of people, “Could you think about something else. You’re making number 4 suspicious. Think about rainbows and unicorns or something.” 

Does he need to say that? This whole fucking situation is already suspicious. What more is there to be suspicious about? ‘Obviously there is more to be suspicious about,’ his brain rations. 

“Where are we?” Noya can tell that Naruko is using all of his courage to glare at the demon. 

“An alternative dimension.” The demon rolls his eyes and groans, “We took you from your dimensions and brought you to ours. Time works differently here. Fortunately for you, you won’t be affected by it. When you go back, if you can get back that is, it would be as if you never left. Does that answer most of your questions?” 

Smoke streams out of Noya’s ears. Alternative dimension? Real world? Wait, this means that Shoyo and everyone else will never know that he’s missing. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Your dimensions? That would explain why he never heard of Idolish7 or Buster Bros or a really popular bike race. 

“What’s the collar and bracelet for?” Wonders Teshima, as he worriedly fidgets with the collar. 

“I guess you could call it a collar. It’s a tracker. It has other uses, but I guess you’ll just have to find that out later. The bracelets also contain a tracking device since we couldn’t put a “collar” on Number 1. We use the bracelets to measure your abilities, as you have already seen. Which brings me to my next point,” he gleefully chuckles. “We’ll be testing your abilities to see your current level.” 

He motions to the circle of people. They move closer to them and forcibly push them out of their seats. The pink haired girl and muscled man flank each side of Noya’s body. The demon motions them out of the cafeteria and down the long winding white hallways to a giant glass door with advanced technology inside. They’re pushed into the room and told to line up against the against the wall. 

The room their pushed into is very big, white, and futuristic.They are standing in a giant empty room. His bare feet feel slightly numb from the smooth, cold marble floor. 

In this situation, the only thing Noya should feel is fear, but he can’t help but wonder what these people’s fascination is with the color white. The walls are white, their clothes are white, this lab or whatever is white. The thought is quickly diminished as a more horrifying thought crosses his mind. Is this a task? Noya doesn’t even know what his abilities are. How is he supposed to pull this off? The demon did say that this was a test to see their current level though. Maybe he won’t care if Noya can’t do anything. 

“Number 1, come stand in the center.” 

Mitsuki anxiously walks forward, hands balled at his sides and eyes downcast. He stops in the center and turns in the demon’s direction. 

The demon pushes a button on the side of the wall and the wall opens up revealing a whole case of deadly weapons. Guns the size of Noya’s arm and blades almost as tall as him. He hooks a giant gun to a handle then closes the case. He then pushes another button and the wall opposite of Noya opens up to a control room. A piece of the wall slides open and he steps inside. A sheet of look alike glass is dropped in front of us, most likely to protect us from stray gun fire. 

Mitsuki is trembling in fear. His eyes are wide and lips quivering. He looks like he wants to plead and beg the demon not to do this, but knows the demon doesn’t give a fuck about what they want. Noya has never seen Mitsuki’s ability in action. What if it fails and he ends up dying? Would they be sad they lost a trainee or indifferent? 

Without warning, loud shots fill the room. Noya can barely hear his own thoughts, but still has a clear view to the hailstorm. Some of the bullets are phasing through him while others are bouncing off an invisible shield. If one gun wasn’t enough, two guns appear on both sides and open fire. Noya’s heart is throbbing. He can’t watch this. Mitsuki’s expression is hard to read through the gunfire, but his posture says it all. He’s crouched on the ground in the fetal position with his hands squeezing his ears. He’s rocking back and force as if trying to convince himself that he is safe. But it’s obviously not working. 

After a few minutes, the gunfire stops. Mitsuki is still crouched, but his head is peeking out. Noya can’t tell if he’s hurt or not, but he can see a small stream of water flow through Mitsuki’s fingers. His earlier trembling increased by sixfold. His legs are shaking so badly, Noya is afraid he won’t be able to stand. 

A small click and thud pierce through the room. A mysterious gas begins pouring out of the small opening. Are they trying to put him to sleep? Noya shakes his head. Why would they try to put him to sleep? They’re trying to find ways to do harm. Or kill him. What is harmful, but comes as a gas? Noya flips through all the gases he knows- which isn’t very many. The only possibility he could think of his poison. 

Noya watches in fascination as Mitsuki stands looking confused as fuck. After a little while, the gas turns off and the opening closes. A few more minutes pass before all the gas disappears. The thin sheet lifts up. 

“Number 1, move back and number 2 step into the center.” 

Teshima fearfully replaces Mitsuki. Noya remembers him saying that he can come back to life. His eyes turn as big as saucers as he audibly gasps. He definitely doesnt want to watch this, but knows that he has to. The thin sheet settles back down. The large gun activates and loud shots ring around the room once more. But instead of phasing through him or bouncing off like they did for Mitsuki, the bullets go through him as he screams in pain. His body, too weak to stand, falls limp to the floor. The gun stops. 

Teshima’s body lies in a pool of blood. Noya wants to scream, but it feels like someone is holding a hand around his throat. The pool continues to grow. He wants to look away, but an invisible force is keeping him in place. After a few seconds, soft clacks can be heard coming from Teshima’s corpse as the bullet shells push out of his skin. After a few more seconds, Teshima’s fingers twitch then his hands. His arm slowly moves, the rest of his body following, as he staggers off the ground. Blood stains his entire back side while spots cover his front. The holes in his shirt reveal smooth, unmarked skin. His body is trembling like a mini earthquake and terror filled eyes stare at the gun. 

If Noya thought the hell was over, he was sadly mistaken. The demon walks back into the room and removes the large gun. Loud clicks can be heard through the look alike glass as he finishes removing the gun. The thing used to hold the gun disappears into the ceiling. The demon strolls back into the control room. 

The gravely sound of the speaker adds a more sinister tone to his already sinister voice, “Number 2, I’m going to need you to stand very still for this test to work. Even if you want to run, stay still. Or else we’ll have to keep doing it until we get it right.” 

The ceiling once again opens, but what comes out is far more menacing than a big gun. A giant circular blade with chainsaw spikes looms in front of Teshima. The blade starts to spin so fast, Noya can’t even see the spikes anymore. 

Noya’s stomach drops. Holy fuck. We already saw that Teshima can’t die, why is he doing this? Is this just a personal satisfaction or actually useful to the test? Noya hears the quiet panic in Yamaguchi’s voice. Yamaguchi is trying so hard to contain his tears, but the dam can not hold it all back. 

“Why are you doing this? You already saw that I can’t die. What more do you want?” Whimpers Teshima as the tears of horror and despair fall from his dreadful eyes. 

The demon chuckles over the speaker, “Well you see, I want to know if your body will put itself back together if I cut you in half. But I also want to know if your body will grow a new half if the two halves are separated. But I guess you could also say I’m doing this for fun as well.” 

Before Teshima can even scream, the blade cuts through him. Blood spurts against the glass and Noya flinches. Unfortunately, his line of vision wasn’t blocked. Teshima’s body is split haphazardly down the middle. The sickening feeling comes speedily crawling back as bones peek out of the throbbing pink flesh. Before Noya can start further examining the body, he slams his eyes shut and tries to calm his thrashing heart. He feels lightheaded. His legs are wobbling and arms shaking. He can’t erase the scene form his mind. It’s like someone drew the scene in permanent marker and added extra sealant. Noya knows that bones weren’t the only thing to be seen. Noya hears erratic breathing and wonders if it’s him or someone else. 

The bright walls assault him as his eyes open. The pool of red hasn’t disappeared, but a whole naked Teshima is standing terrifyingly still in the center of the room. His eyes look like they’re going to pop out of his sockets while he hangs his head. Noya turns to his right and sees Yamaguchi on the ground crying into his hands. Low sobs escape from his shaking body. Noya wants so desperately to break down, but he doesn’t want the demon to know that he got to him. He won’t let the demon see him at his weakest again. 

Noya can see the shocked and terrified faces of the other four. They all have tears streaming down their faces. Jiro is mumbling to himself while Naruko must be fearing that something similar is going to happen to him and Teshima’s safety. Mitsuki looks like he wants to march in there and protect Teshima from the saw, but knows things will only be worse for Teshima if he interferes. 

The blade, not yet done with its torture, cuts jaggedly through Teshima again. More blood splatters against the glass. When the two naked halves fall to the ground, a metal claw reaches out and grabs the right half and drags it to the far corner of the room, leaving a trail of organs, blood, and bones. Brain matter, blood, and other body parts are dotted around the room. Noya’s breathing intensifies as his eyes stayed glued to Teshima . This time he is going to watch the entire thing, no matter how much it makes him sick or want to tear out his eyes. Seeing a real dead body is nothing like it is on T.V. 

The loud whirring of the saw finally comes to a holt. More blood spills into the previous pool. How do they plan on getting those blood stains out? White was a really bad decision. His clothes are bloody and in shreds on the ground. Minutes tick by as Teshima’s body continues to lie lifeless on the floor. What if he doesn’t come back? What if he reached his limit? 

Noya’s eyes wonder over the pale, bloody skin and is shocked to see the bones stitching themselves back together. Slowly the right side of his body begins to take shape as bone forms. His teeth fill up the empty space, making him look like Ghost Rider. It would be cool if Noya wasn’t so creeped out. Once the bone is done forming, pink flowing muscles trace over the bone. The white of his eyes begin forming while pale skin envelopes his fingers. To Noya’s surprise, his undamaged hand lightly jolts and fingers twitch. He’s alive? His body isnt done forming. The skin on his left side sluggishly migrates over the muscle. Thin purple locks grow steadily out of his head and eyebrows appear along with pubic hair. The original right side of his body gradually fades away. The new right side of his body is clean while the left side has blood stains scattered all over. If someone saw him, they’d be really confused. 

Is the new right side his original right side or is the new right side completely new and the original just disappeared? Why did it disappear? Where did it disappear to? Noya observes the way Teshima gazed at the ceiling while lying in a pool of blood. His face is blank and eyes unreadable. If Noya didn’t know any better, he would think Teshima was dead. 

The other tests should be easier right? Well maybe not easier, but less bloody. The demon steps back into the enclosed space and ushers Teshima into a room. Noya can’t hear what they’re saying, but probably has something to do with changing because of the fresh pair of clothes the demon was holding. 

“Nobody is to speak,” the demon taunts. 

A small swish sound makes him avert his attention back to the enclosed space. Tiny robots swarm out of the small opening towards the giant pool of blood. When the robots leave, the floor is as good as new. How did they do that? Trying to clean stains off a white surface is nearly impossible without leaving at least a bit of color left, but these robots managed to make it look spotless. 

Teshima comes out of the room with damp hair and a clean identical set of clothes. The glass rises and Teshima, looking less empty than before, takes his place between Naruko and Mitsuki. 

The demon steps in front of Naruko, “Number 3.” He gestures to the middle then strides back into the control room with glee. 

Small mumbles are coming from Naruko as he hesitantly moves to the middle of the room. His arms are swinging by his side and eyes dart all over the room. 

The demon watches, but says nothing. Noya wonders what the demon could be waiting for. Is he going to tell Naruko what to do? Naruko just discovered his ability, so of course he wouldn’t be able to turn invisible at will. It’s going to be even more embarrassing and awkward for Noya because he doesn’t even know what his ability is. He can already imagine himself standing and shuffling around with shame and confusion. 

Naruko closes his eyes and stands very still. His face scrunches as he tries to concentrate. He must of done something right, because his hands are somewhat invisible. His hands look funny when he waves them around and wiggles his fingers. When he opens his eyes, his hands are once again visible. Disappointment covers his face. 

The demon laughs over the speaker, “That was fucking terrible! If you didn’t have so much potential, I would kill you right now!”

Naruko’s cheeks are flushed and hands fisted as he walks back into the line. Noya is drowning. Drowning in shame. He’s going to get an even worse comment than Naruko, and it’s not even his fault. 

Jiro looks as uncomfortable as the others as he stands in the center. 5 rugged women are brought into the room. Why are there so many doors? Why are the woman wearing worn out clothes and look like they haven’t showered for days? Why are they here? They obviously aren’t experiments. Or they could be experiments, but not ones like them. Noya diverts his gaze to the demon happily smiling behind the glass panel. Rage runs through his veins. 

Jiro’s face shifts in horror. Before he can open his mouth, he convulses and falls to the floor. He lets out a pained scream and kneels on the ground. The rage rushing through Noya transforms into confusion. What did he just witness? 

The demon playfully taunts Jiro, “Better keep your mouth shut.” The demon’s yellow eyes flash dangerously, but passes as fast as light. “I want you to tell me which girl is Evelyn. Now girls, I’m going to need you to think about only your name. Got it?” 

The women frantically nod. 

Jiro looks uncertain. His eyes shoot from person to person. His mouth opens and closes like a fish. He shakes his head then points at the girl on the far left hesitantly. 

The demon chuckles, “Are you Evelyn?” 

The girl shakes her head and violently trembles. The women cling to each other and tears flow from their eyes. What did the demon do to these poor women? Does he think he can just experiment on people and hurt them as much as he wants? People aren’t toys. But of course someone like him wouldn’t care about the innocent people he’s destroying. All he wants to do is have fun and experiment; repercussions be damned. 

The rage keeps building and building. Noya’s hands are clenched so hard, nail marks must be imprinted on them. He’s going to punch that demon in the face. He’ll never know what hit him. Noya will keep punching him and punching until he sees red. He isn’t usually a violent person, but when someone sees the need to walk all over people and treat them as of they’re objects; then, yeah, someone is going to bleed. 

All the emotions must have done something; because the next thing he knows, he’s standing right in front of the demon. He blinks in confusion. How did he get here? He should be behind the glass sheet, but those questions can come later. Right now, he’s going to fucking destroy this son of a bitch. 

Noya swings with as much force as possible; but before his fist can make contact, the demon’s hand stops his. The demon’s grip is like steel. Noya desperately punches with his left hand. That hand is also captured. The demon grips tighter, almost enough to break his wrist. Noya pulls his arms, but the demon is too strong. He lets out a pained gasp as the demon lifts him off the ground. His legs flail as he tries to kick the demon. He manages to land a few hits, but it does nothing. He continues to struggle. What is this man made of? He’s kicking him, but nothing’s happening? How is that possible? His arms are starting to hurt and energy slowly fades. The demon’s smile haunts him as his body finally gives up. His head hanging in defeat. 

The demon chuckles and drops Noya. He bends down and grips Noya’s chin and forces his head up. A pale finger comes up to stroke Noya’s cheek. “I guess we don’t need to test your ability. Did you have fun trying to beat me up? Was it worth it?” Noya tries to back away, but his chin is locked in place. “You should be happy I didn’t break your wrists.” He lets go, stands up, and turns to a tall man, “Take him back.” 

Noya feels like he’s going to throw up. He rubs his wrist and imagines what would’ve happened if the demon wasn’t feeling generous. He’s sweating bullets and can’t seem to calm down. A hand forcibly pulls him up. The tall man is hovering over him with his stone face and dead eyes. Eyes trail down to the man’s hips. He has a gun. 

The walk back to the line was quiet and gave Noya a lot of time to think. How did he get from one place to another without walking? Why didn’t his kicks go through? What’s going on with those woman? The first question seems like the easiest to answer. He obviously has some kind of ability, but doesn’t know it is. That could have been his ability. He could have ran really fast, but that doesn’t explain how he passed through walls. Maybe he can run really fast and phase through things like that muscle guy. Speaking of muscle guy, who is he? Why are they here? Are they working for this psychopath? They have abilities, why aren’t they being experimented on? 

They finally make it back into the line. Instead of Jiro, Yamaguchi is standing in the middle. Noya has too many questions running through his head to focus. This is probably the most thinking he’s ever done in his entire life. He recalls the incident and thinks teleportation best fits, but won’t really know until someone confirms it. 

His brain hurts from thinking too much. While he was lost in la-la land, Yamaguchi had finished and they were being pushed into a lab that looks more like a hospital. Noya hates hospitals. Six patient beds lean on the far wall and little trays are set up by each. 

They’re each led to a bed and told to sit and roll up their right sleeve. The sheets are nice and soft for a cold and evil place. The white walls in here at least have a clock. There are no windows, as usual. Why did time stop in his world, but not in this one? How does that work? Noya didn’t think him leaving would affect anything. This is making his head hurt even more. He just wants to go to sleep. This day has really taken a toll on him. He’ll think about all this in the morning. 

A female doctor walks over to his bed and grabs the items on the tray. She motions him to roll up his sleeve. She wipes the crease between his arm and carefully pushes in the butterfly needle. Noya grits his teeth. The blood flows through the tube into a cylinder container with a colorful cap. He remembers when he had to do this for a physical. Why do they always take so much blood? The nurse finally removes the needle. He thought she was going to keep going until he was drained. 

After that boring, but normal physical, we are led out of the white lab into the equally white hallway by the demon. Noya follows tiredly down the hall as they walk forever passing doors and turning at random. This whole place feels and looks super futuristic. He wonders how long it took these people to learn where everything is. He could’ve been here for years and still get lost. 

They stop at a white door with no handle. A panel sits on the wall by the door. The demon holds up a card and the panel beeps and the red light turns green. The door slides open and they all step inside. 

Noya is mortified. This was not what he was expecting. The room looks like a luxury hotel suite only meant for the wealthiest people. What is going on? Is this some kind of trick? Noya would be enjoying this if he wasn’t so fucking terrified. 

The room, for starters, isn’t all white. The walls are white, but paintings and decorations make it less noticeable. The wooden floor is a soft brown instead of the cold white marble flooring of the rest of the building. Excluding the cafeteria. Instead of only artificial lights, giant windows look out into the starry sky. There’s a short hallway with a shoe closet before they reach the open floor plan. There’s a big kitchen to the left and a huge living room with big brown fluffy couches and a huge TV across from it. Beside the kitchen is a sitting area. The sitting area looks like the living room, but with smaller couches and bookshelf piled high with books and board games. The bathroom is beside the living room and directly under the stairs. 

Noya pushes open the door and his eyes nearly pop out of his sockets. The bathroom is almost as big as his room. The floors, walls, and sink are the same brownish tan marble. The shower has a sliding glass door and a marble bench. He could fall asleep in here. A bath tub, with edges the same color of the wall, sits in the back. The toilet is a few feet away from the tub. The tub also has a sliding glass door. The circular mirror on the wall is gigantic. The best part is, the room smells like the forest. Noya isn’t paying too much attention to the details. 

He exits the bathroom and runs up the wooden steps. Six brown doors lead to identical bedrooms. In the back is another bathroom that looks like the first. Noya chose the bedroom on the right closet to the stairs. The room is very bland, but the window is enough. However, the walls are a pale yellow. Baby blue curtains are drawn and the light dimmed. Noya can’t believe they have their own room and the beds aren’t ones like in a prison. Instead, it’s a twin bed with a bouncy mattress set on a slightly elevated bed frame with a headboard. The bed is in the middle of the room with a black comforter, orange sheets, and a white pillow. How did the demon match his colors? Is it just coincidence and everybody has the same colors? If it wasn’t a coincidence, how did the demon know he would pick this room? 

Noya meets up with the others downstairs, “My bed was the same color as my jersey. Did you guys get matching colors too?” 

Teshima’s eyes widen, “Yeah, my sheets were yellow and the comforter was white. My pillow was also red. And for some reason, my walls were purple; like my hair.” 

Jiro nods his head, “My sheets were red, my comforter blue, and my pillow yellow. My room was also painted blue. I think it went off the colors my brother’s and I normally wear.” 

“Mine was the same as Perm-senpai, but my walls were red,” smiles Naruko. 

“Both my comforter and sheets were rainbow. Thankfully my walls are orange, but I don’t know if I can stay in that room very long with the lights on.” 

Noya turns to Yamaguchi, “Yours must be like mine, but orange sheets, a black comforter, and green walls instead of yellow.” 

Yamaguchi looks down and mumbles, “Actually, my room was all white.” 

Mitsuki raise an eyebrow and pinches his lips, “Why? He obviously knew which room we would pick. I don’t know how he knows that, but we’ll come back to that later. Why leave one room blank? What could that possibly mean?” 

Naruko shrugs, “Maybe he didn’t get around to it.” 

They’re once again interrupted as the demon walks over, “Do you like it? I need test subjects who are able to perform at their best.” 

Mitsuki levels his eyes with the demon, “How did you know which room we would choose? Why wasn’t Yamaguchi’s decorated?” 

The demon continues to smile, “Each of you will be given a card; you must never lose these cards.” He hands them each a card. 

“Why are you avoiding the questions?” 

The demon laughs, “Are you trying to tell me what to do? Kid, you’re funny.” He turns to walktoward the door, “I want you all dressed and ready to go at 6 a.m. Everything you need for cooking is here.” The door shuts with a click and they are left in silence. 

“That was strange,” Jiro comments. 

“What isn’t strange about this place,” Teshima mutters. 

“Ah, Jiro, why did the demon threaten you?” Questions Mitsuki. 

Jiro’s eyes dart around the room, “I’m not allowed to say.” 

Mitsuki doesn’t dig any deeper, but his face twists into concern before walking toward the kitchen. “I’m going to start dinner. I just want to eat, shower, and go to bed. How about you?” 

They all nod. Noya leaves to his room and looks inside the closet. The closet is like a lemon trying to compare itself to oranges. It’s not a walk-in closet like he thought. Tight Dri-Fit and compression shirts hang in color order. The only colors are yellow and black though. There are two piles of bottoms under the shirts. He’s assuming one of them is shorts and the other pants. He runs his fingers across the material. Compression pants and shorts. His eyes travel lower to eight white wooden boxes. The bottom two boxes have white open-toed slippers, while the other six boxes house sneakers. All the sneakers are black and yellow. What is with the demon’s obsession with colors. He opens the drawer, expecting to find normal clothes, but the white silk pajamas glare back at him. The drawer is filled while the second drawer is filled with boxer briefs and socks. The third drawer is surprisingly empty. The laundry basket is under the drawers. He grabs a set of pajamas and a pair of slippers and angrily shuts the doors. 

Obviously if the demon knew which room he was going to choose, he must know his dress size. Where are all the good clothes though? What is with his obsession with the color yellow? Does it mean something? Noya sighs frustratedly and leans back on the bed. At least the bed is comfortable. 

A soft knock attracts Noya’s attention. Yamaguchi is standing at the door. His hair is matted to his forehead, “I finished showering if you want to get in now.” 

“Thanks.” 

“You’re welcome,” Yamaguchi bows and leaves. 

Dinner is done by the time Noya gets out the shower. He grabs a serving and goes to sit at the kitchen table with the others. Dinner passes by uneventfully and they all head to bed after washing their dishes. 

As tired as Noya is, he can’t seem to fall asleep. His thoughts are spiraling. What’s going to happen tomorrow? Tomorrow is the first day of training. He doesn’t feel safe. He wants to go home. He wants Shoyo to wrap him in a hug and comfort him. Small tears fall from his eyes and whimpers escape his lips. He buries his head in the sheets. That night, he falls asleep crying. 

The next morning, his alarm wakes him at 4:45. His eyes lazily open and he wonders if all that was a dream. Reality crashes into to him as his eyes meet the pale yellow walls. He sighs and almost feels like crying again, but he holds it back. He wipes the tear stains off his face and heads to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. In each of their nightstands is a toothbrush, poof, and other essentials. Do you know what color his stuff was? Yellow. 

He comes back from the bathroom feeling a little bit better. He throws on a black shirt with yellow designs and black pants. He rolls on a pair of black socks and grabs the yellow shoes with black highlights to put by the door. 

It’s 5:15 when he comes downstairs to the smell of bacon, eggs, and toast. Everyone but Jiro and Yamaguchi are sitting around the table. Mitsuki stands up and excuses himself. 

Noya sees Mitsuki come back down the stairs two minutes later. He knocks on the bathroom door as worry accelerates in his eyes. 

Teshima furries is eyebrows, “Mitsuki, what’s wrong?” 

Worry and fear are written plain as day across his face, “Yamaguchi’s gone.” 

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY 🥰😍❤️❤️❤️💕💖💞
> 
> Hope you liked it!! The next part will be a lot bloodier.


End file.
